mikevaladez

the thing is that we protect what we love...can't just trust anybody with this knowledge because our names are attached to the apprentice. if they fuk up, its our fault...

as far as ppl tattooing in their houses, i could care less, everybodys trying out there...ive seen plenty of beginner work that has promise...but normally its not a good idea to go to a shop with pics of tattoos u did...better to bring artwork.

and tattooers actually hate hangarounds...just get tattooed, chill, be cool, but dont bug and be comin around everyday..lol

My answer is yes we need apprentices...we just got a new apprentice at our shop...she got to know my boss before she got it...and she had already known tattooers...she moved from cali to texas just to learn how to tattoo...and thats what it takes, real commitment, not just bitchin about some shop down the street not taking you. to answer the question of teaching random strangers...its a NO...i dont know you, dont know what you really want with tattooing, probably just to mooch off of it like everyone else. those are my first thoughts for when strangers ask. if i get to know someone and know that they love it for the art...i would do it, but most people wanna be fukn cool, and wanna get rich. my apprenticeship took 4 years...no money, barely any tattoos done...most people dont wanna do that, they just wanna pick up a machine and start tattooing....bleh..my 2 cents as a tattoo artist.

exactly...skull face virgin mary is not a santa muerte....gotta have all the bells n whistles..haha....

Im questioning it more because im considering it as a backpeice, i do know the story behind it but a little skeptical on whether its the done thing to get something like that so huge when you dont actually worship it and just live the imagery!

a backpiece would be awsome...to most it would just look like a grim reaper...its the small details, like the owl, hourglass, and the earth that make it santisima muerte..i dont see a problem if you dont worship it...better for you, it usually involves some sort of offering..

i have one too....it helps sometimes warding off cops in mexico...haha.... some people might be offended in you having the tattoo and not knowing the story about her, or ritual. not me though...do it....the image is awsome, and makes for a cool tattoo.

bob shaw piece..

haha...yea the balls are right near the elbow too...not too easy to hide.

Blk n Gry | Facebook

@Reyeslv dnt know how to post the pic, but heres a link to said penis portrait.

i did a portrait of a penis on a guys arm...that was pretty weird. actually the weirdest part was his wife. she was pretty adamant about the penis head being a particular size, and it being accompanied by a nice set of balls. idk..pretty random.

ahhh...that pic says it all about tattooin in houston....i had a similar adventure...almost made the mistake of making her straddle the chair....

I took a trip on a bus to Mexico last year. I was strongly advised to wear a long sleeve shirt, cuz apparently all the mexican gangsters look like me. So I did of course and was trippin balls sittin in those bus stations down there thinkin I was gonna get kidnapped or murdered because of my tattoos. It was hot as hell, my ass with sleeves down and collar flipped up. On a good note, the police seemed especially scared of me when I would visit other towns.

throat and knee.....hmm...add back to that as well...still not done, cant sit for longer than 20 mins...

Freestyle..the worst. Im not sure if anyone else has experience with this word or if it is a southern thing. Thrown around with other lovely terms like gunz and " I gotz this one from my boyz house". So people come in asking who the best freestyle artist is or if you can do some freestyle on them. Usually gets a lot of blank looks from everyone, then they proceed to say "yeah just do whatever you want, make it cool". Which is usually followed up with "dem gunz expensive"?

freestyle...ummm no.

yea...I think "Freestyle" is a south thing. Quite possibly the dumbest term I've ever heard. I also hate when someone asks to buy a barrel.....I definitely give a blank look, followed by complete silence.

Hi, I'm Mike Valadez. A friend from work showed me the site, been hooked ever since. I currently work at Phat Kat's in Houston, Tx.